It is hard for me to think of gifts for my wife when I am on my own. I have a few tips that may help the man out there who is pulling his hair trying to buy his a wife, girlfriend, or significant other a gift/gifts.

Layout the ground rules

Talk about what the plan is for Christmas. When are you celebrating? When can you get away and buys the gifts? Some couples have to have Christmas at multiple residences on different days. Know when those dates are so you can plan your own Christmas accordingly. Knowing when you can get away is important. My wife and I tried to go Christmas shopping for each other together. It was both exciting and dumb at the same time. We had to plan out routes and call each other when we were running to the car to put something in it. It helps to know when you can have some time alone and take your time to look for those perfect gifts or gift. Men, send your wife to get a massage or pedicure so you can go shopping. Women, tell your husband to plan a night with the guys.

It is also important to know when the house will be empty so you can wrap your gifts. Laying the ground rules for Christmas shopping is an important step.

Set spending limits

This is especially true for a married couple or dating couples. This limit will “keep the playing field level.” There is nothing worse than buying the gift you think would be perfect for your wife and she buys you something REALLY nice that is worth way more that what you got her. This works both ways as well. The value of the gift shouldn’t matter, but it does make the person who bought the lesser valued gift feel badly sometimes. At least it makes me feel bad and that I failed.
The limit will make buying the gifts exciting and fun. Some people take this limit setting route and then go buy one gift for the value of the limit. This can be a perfect choice! I like to take it the other way and get awesome gifts that fill the area under the tree. It was like a game for me. I had my list, which we will get to next, and I went out looking for the most items for the spending limit. It was like a contest the closer I got without going over was the winner. “The Price is Right” style…right?

We even set limits on our stockings as well. Give setting spending limits a try for this Christmas or the next. It makes life easier for both the man and the woman.

Give each other ideas and a list.

I don’t think I would do as well if B and I did not make lists for each other. The list is like a guide that will help jar your memory and get the creative juices flowing. Make you list have all kinds if choice on it with all kinds of dollar values. It is also good to put high valued items on there that are above and beyond the spending limit. This gives you ideas to buy accessories or things within that area of the high priced item. For example, B put a shotgun on her list. A shotgun costs way more than our limits is. It may have given me ideas that she may want to start hunting again or shooting clay pigeons. It may get ideas to buy her shooting glasses, a blaze orange pheasant vest, …etc.
The real benefit to adding all sorts of items to the list is that it gives your husband or wife ideas for other occasions. Anniversaries, milestone gifts like graduations…etc.

The main take away is that this list will help your loved one decide on ideas and gifts for you. You may not get anything off your list. Make gift buying easy on your significant other.

It’s hard to believe that M was able to keep a secret from me for as long as he did. Usually he’s the one who can’t wait to open Christmas presents, so we open them a week early. When he gets excited about something, he usually wants to tell me right away. So when the day came we were leaving for our anniversary trip, and I still hadn’t heard a peep about what we were doing, I was pretty impressed. The only thing M had informed me was that I would never be able to guess one of the activities he had planned. It was so exciting to be going somewhere and have no clue about where we were going to stay and what we were going to do.

We drove a couple hours to our first destination, and M was right, I never would have guessed what we would be doing! He had planned a three hour segway tour around our destination city. To be honest, I was really skeptical at first. I knew M was Mr. Technology and it didn’t surprise me the activity he had planned. But soon after we got comfortable on our segways and touring the city, it turned out to be such a blast! We drove on bike trails around the river, crossed bridges, toured a little bit of the city, and had a little off-roading time. It was so much fun! Afterwards, I had to apologize to M for being a little unsure about the whole segway thing, because it turned out to be a great time. It was one of those things that I would never choose to do for myself, but M broke me out of my comfort zone and I actually found it to be enjoyable. It was really fun being able to enjoy a new experience together.

At this point, we still hadn’t checked into our hotel. M told me he had reserved a room at a hotel that was on an island in the middle of the river. Hearing that alone sounded exciting! And as soon as we walked into the hotel, I knew he had to have paid a pretty penny for it too! It was very ritzy. Our room was really fancy. It had a Sleep Number bed in it, and we had fun playing with that. We both set our sides to zero and woke up with backaches, but it was a blast. I never would have chosen to stay at a hotel that nice, but it was just another new experience for us to have together, and I was so impressed that he was able to pick something so nice and special for the weekend.

On top of that, we ate at new places and went for a walk downtown in the city, which was a place I had never been. There were so many unique places that I had never seen before.

The next morning before we left the hotel, M had planned a five-course brunch for us to go to. This, by far, was the biggest stretch for me. I was not used to being served such elegant food in such an elegant setting. It was one of those situations in which you don’t know which fork to use. Despite the fact of feeling a little awkward, I enjoyed it very much.

M and I exchanged cards. Of course, I started crying before I even started to read the one he got for me. He had totally blown me away with what he had planned for the weekend, and the fact that he picked everything out himself made me feel so special. The weekend was just about as magical as our wedding day. Everything seemed so new and exciting, and even more exciting because I was experiencing it with the man I love. I wouldn’t trade that weekend with him for any gift we could have bought for each other.

If you’ve got a special day coming up, I’d definitely consider having a surprise getaway. It definitely won my heart all over again. There is nothing better than making memories with the person you love. Trying new things together will only draw you even closer. And who knows, maybe you’ll start a tradition! Maybe next year I’ll be the one surprising M. There are so many possibilities besides buying gifts. I’m so glad that M looked outside of the box to celebrate our first anniversary together.

“Marriage is the garden gate. Along the path there will be flowers and weeds. Cherish the flowers and pull the weeds.”

We laughed at the gift and contemplated throwing it out. It manages to make it on our bed every morning when the bed is made.

B loved it! You need to surprise your significant other with things that she would never guess. Keep her guessing and life will be full of awesome surprise for each other. I love to surprise my wife! Make it a great day!